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Cost per session?

Does anybody think about the costs of windsurfing per session nowadays? And has your thinking changed?

I used to think about my windsurfing sessions as being almost free, because the wind is free, and I get a lot of time on my gear. But that seems to have changed over the years.

The gear is now more expensive and I have more of it, so the costs per session have gone up in terms of the kit investment.

Then there's the day to day costs of getting to the beach – for me that's petrol/diesel in the van, but I'm lucky to live on the coast.

The other cost that has gone up is parking charges at the beach and we're on a £1 per hour or more nowadays. The 'west Hove' car park we all started using used to have free periods but now it's £2.50 for four hours, and the local cafe drinks costs have also gone up.

You might also windsurf via a sailing club or on a lake with launch fees – have these gone up?

I'm also aware that there was a time when I might go away for the weekend, on a surfari to find better windsurfing conditions. Nowadays those trips seem to cost so much more – with fuel costs, eating out, parking charges, and accommodation where you can't sleep in the van. It's easy to blow £200 or even £300 on a weekend.

If you were to do an event like slalom racing then the costs soar further – with extra kit needed and entry fees and necessary association membership and insurance costs.

Have I just got poorer or do others think twice too?

Also, if like many in the UK, you have recently had six months with little windsurfing, then how does that make you feel about the costs per session?

I suppose the other cost of windsurfing is the time it takes to learn to do it.

You can teach yourself but most of us have lessons at some point and will have to hire gear too.

However, once you have become good – or at least self sufficient – then the cheapest way to go windsurfing is to own limited gear which you buy second hand.
If you can then walk your gear to the water without a car or van, then you won't pay parking charges either.

So the cost per session is then the total outlay for the second hand gear and a wetsuit, divided by the number of times you use it. The longer you can keep the same gear going, the cheaper each session costs.